Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Bringing Scotty Back

This
week, I am in Fargo, North Dakota, training over 100 teachers to teach the 7
Mindsets to thousands of students at half a dozen schools.This is my 10th trip to Fargo in
just a few years as part of the continued effort to help Fargo become the first
7 Mindsets community in the world.I’ve
invited my wife to join me on many occasions, and when she recently did, that trip
inspired this week’s story…

Born
in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and
roll, JR was dancing along to the radio when he was just a toddler.Before he was 3 years old, he was already
trying to sing in harmony with his favorite songs.He started taking voice lessons very early,
but it would be a few years before he had the notion to do anything serious with
his talent.

When
JR was 11, he competed in a big talent competition.He gave it his best effort, but it wasn’t
quite enough to win.At his age, dealing
with the loss was hard, and he considered quitting.However, upon returning home, he learned of an
open tryout for a popular after-school kids’ show.Mustering his confidence despite the recent
defeat, JR tried out… and made the cut.But
the show only lasted for two more seasons before it was cancelled and JR was
once again wondering if he should keep trying.

Following
the show’s cancellation, JR returned to regular life.At 14, he was still young, but he hadn’t
expected things to end so quickly.When
he received a call from another young musician who invited him to an audition
for a group he was starting, JR wasn’t sure if he could take the rejection if
it didn’t work out. JR realized that even though the other experiences didn’t
end well, he still was having fun pursuing his passions…and maybe that was just
as important.He decided to go to the
audition, and found there was genuine musical chemistry with the other guys.The world would soon agree.

JR,
whose full name is Justin Randall Timberlake, seemed to become famous overnight
as the youngest member of the boy band ‘N Sync.The truth, though, is that the young men rehearsed constantly, sweating
through hours of practices to hone their dancing and singing to a level that
would get labels interested.It took
more than three years for them to get an album released in the USA.However, their hard work paid off.Both their first and second albums eventually
sold more than 10,000,000 copies, while their second and third albums are
ranked as the two fastest-selling albums ever during the weeks of their release.

Today,
Justin Timberlake is one of the most famous entertainers on the planet.Besides his highly successful solo music
career, he has ventured into acting, fashion, and even restaurant
ownership.But when looking at all he
has attained, it’s incredibly important to remember that, like all of us, he
has faced failure and disappointment, and has taken risks in leaving what’s
familiar in order to try new things.In
fact, one interviewer even pointed out how easy everything seems when Justin does
it, to which he answered, “Making it look easy is literally the hardest thing
I’ve ever done.All that time practicing
in front of the mirror, holding an instrument with my fingers bleeding,
rehearsing with legs and feet cramping… it’s the idea that if something is
worth having, it has to be worth putting all of yourself into it.”

Although
I invited my wife to join me in Fargo time and time again, she always thanked
me and declined.At the beginning of
this year, though, she said she wanted to accompany me to Fargo in
February.I told her the temperature
would be below zero and the streets would be covered with snow, but she said she
didn’t mind.I was a bit suspicious of
her change of heart, and with good reason, it turned out.Justin Timberlake was playing at the Fargo
Dome that week, and she had already bought the tickets.

As
you pursue your own dreams, keep in mind that the hardest part of facing an
ending is beginning again. I’m writing
about JT because he found the courage to keep singing in the face of one defeat
after another.Find your song in life,
and don’t give up too soon!After years
and years of hard work, thousands of hours of passionate dedication, and many
failures, you too may become an overnight success.

Until next week...

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1 comment:

Thank you so much Scott for all the inspiring material you share! I am from the Fargo area and met you last year at a Worksite Wellness Conference. I was inspired and bought your course immediately. I start my day with the morning mindset and hope that my daughters will be able to learn from the training you are doing with teachers here. God Bless!

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Scott Shickler

About me

Scott is one of the world’s leading experts on youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. The Wall Street Journal referred to him as a serial and parallel entrepreneur due to the number of businesses he started in diverse industries. Collectively his companies have grossed over $37 million with businesses ranging from software to seminars and real estate to restaurants. Shickler is the author or coauthor of 8 books including, The Ultimate Entrepreneur and The 7 Mindsets to Live Your Ultimate Life. Scott also wrote the Boy Scout Merit Badge booklet on entrepreneurship. He has been featured on CNN, ABC & NBC News, and in The New York Times. Shickler is currently the CEO and founder of Excent Corporation – a multi-million dollar education company serving millions of students and educators throughout the world. Scott grew up in New York and now lives in Atlanta with his wife and two sons. He is a graduate of Fordham University and also the cofounder of the Magic Wand Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to empowering youth to live their dreams.